Who Needs Prince Charming Anyway?
by ChristmasCrackers
Summary: After Bella is stranded in the middle of nowhere by Prince Charming, all hope seems to be lost until a total stranger, the Knight in Rusty Armor, rides up in his beat up Chevy pickup to rescue her.


**TwiGirlsNextDoor Christmas Crackers**

Pairing if Applicable: Edward/Bella  
>Title: Who needs Prince Charming, anyway?<br>Disclaimer: I obviously own nothing.  
>Brief Summary: After Bella is stranded in the middle of nowhere by Prince Charming, all hope seems to be lost until a total stranger, the Knight in Rusty Armor, rides up in his beat up Chevy pickup to rescue her.<p>

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><p>"Get out."<p>

"What?"

"I said get out."

"Why? What did I do?"

"Don't you get it? I don't want you, Bella."

He sounded so sure, so honest, so angry. I couldn't even question him, because some part of me always knew I wasn't enough for him, wasn't good enough to deserve him. "I love you," I whispered, opening the door and stepping out of his car. The door had barely closed before he was burning rubber, getting away from me as fast as that V8 engine could carry him. All I could do was stand there and watch.

For a long while, I just stood where he left me, staring down the road and hoping to see him driving back toward me. Eventually, my brain escaped the fog surrounding it and realized I was at least 45 miles from Forks, and only had about 4 hours until sunset. The sundress I was wearing wasn't going to help keep me warm at all once the temperature dropped, so the sooner I reached Forks, the better. The stretch of road I was on was practically deserted, so I scratched 'Wait for the next car to drive by' off my list of options, since that could take days, and I had left my phone in his car. That left me no choice but to start walking. Thank God for comfortable converse.

As I walked, I thought back on the past couple of hours, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. We were driving back to Forks from Seattle to visit our families over Spring Break, and I had asked him where he saw us in five years. He had chuckled nervously, and asked, "What's wrong with where we are now?"

I wanted to tell him there was nothing wrong with it, but he had known me so long he would have seen right through the lie. So, honesty seemed like the best way to go. "We have been together since sophomore year of high school, which is almost four years and we have never even talked about marriage or kids. We don't live together, despite the fact that I've asked you several times to move in with me. And we've never gone any further physically than making out. You've never even tried to touch me anywhere other than what is publicly acceptable. I just… I guess I just wanna know if you're really happy, and where we're going from here."

OK, so I admit, that may have been a bit much to throw at him at once. But I was so frustrated that once I opened my mouth, it was like I couldn't stop talking. It didn't help any when he simply replied, "Please, Bella. You know I love you," as though that would be enough to end the conversation.

"Alright, then answer the question. Where do you see us five years from now?"

"Drop it."

"But-" Before I could ask if it was really that difficult of a question, he had pulled over and thrown me out of the car.

Thinking about the whole messed up situation proved to be too much for me. I fell to my knees on the pavement screaming. I couldn't bring myself to blame him for this, but I just couldn't understand. We had been best friends since diapers. We used to tell each other everything. He was supposed to be my Prince Charming.

I don't know how long I kneeled there, wailing and sobbing. By the time I calmed down enough to get up, the sun was already beginning to set, and I knew I couldn't have walked more than a few miles. I began walking quickly, trying to get as far as possible before dark.

I was so focused on walking without tripping over my own feet that I didn't even hear the beat up old pickup truck until it pulled up next to me and the driver said "Get in." I looked up to see a handsome man who looked to be around my age, but hesitated to jump in a vehicle with a random stranger. He must have seen the worry on my face, because he quickly spoke again. "I'm headed to Forks. Look, it's getting dark, and you really shouldn't be out here alone. I swear I would never do anything to hurt you. I just wanna help." Between the darkness spreading across the sky, the coldness seeping into the air, and his friendly smile, I decided to believe him and simply hope my dad never heard about me being so reckless with my safety. This guy seemed fairly trustworthy. I climbed into the truck and we started our journey in silence.

A few minutes later he asked, "So, what's a pretty little thing like you doing all alone out in the middle of nowhere?"

I snickered, mostly at myself. "Long story short, it turns out the guy I thought was my Prince Charming turned out to be just another frog."

"I see. Sorry about that. If it helps, he wasn't good enough for you anyway. I don't know you at all, but, honestly, what kind of guy leaves a girl stranded on the side of the road?" I laughed freely at his rant, but didn't say anything in reply.

The rest of the drive went by in a surprisingly comfortable silence, until we reached the edge of Forks. "Can I buy you dinner? There's this great little place-"

"Forks Diner?" I interrupted, earning a curious stare. "I grew up here."

He chuckled. "That would explain it. Unless they live here or have family around here, very few people know about the diner. So, are you hungry?" I nodded, not quite ready to go home and explain to my dad why a total stranger was dropping me off.

At the diner, we sat and ate, all the while chatting like old friends. I told him about growing up as the clumsiest kid in town, and he told me about growing up in a bigger city. I learned that he was also a student in Seattle, was a year older than me, and that his parents had moved here just over a year ago. When we finally got up to leave, he glanced at his watch. "Wow. Do you realize we were sitting there for about five hours?"

"Seriously? That's crazy. It really didn't seem that long. My dad is probably planning a search party as we speak." We got back in the truck and I directed him to my childhood home.

He pulled up to the curb and before I could thank him, he blurted out, "Can I be honest with you?" I just nodded curiously. "I don't know much about you. Hell, I don't even know your name. And I never, ever bought into the idea of love at first sight, but the moment I saw you on the side of the road, I already felt an attachment to you. It's like I somehow just knew you were special. I totally realize that I shouldn't be so sure after only a few hours, but I'm pretty positive that I love you. And I'm rambling like a loon. Sorry." He took a deep breath, and I tried to catch mine. "You must think that I am completely insane."

Logic said that yes, I should agree with him and tell him he was nuts, get out of the truck, and run. But if I was really honest with myself, I felt more connected to this guy who I barely knew than I had ever felt toward anyone. And I couldn't deny that, strange though it may seem, there was something between us. "Bella." He looked at me, unsure what I had said. I repeated myself, then clarified. "Bella. My name is Bella."

"Bella," he whispered, as if he was testing the word on his tongue.

"And I don't think you're crazy. I- I'm not ready to call it 'love' just yet. We do seem to just…fit, though, and I would really like to see where this goes."

He smiled widely at me. "That sounds amazing. But, you should probably get inside." I stared at him, perplexed at his urgency to end the intimate moment we seemed to be having. "We're being watched," he chuckled.

I turned to see my dad standing on the porch with his shotgun. Absolutely a cliché, but that was my dad. "You're probably right," I sighed, turning the handle and stepping out of the truck. "Thank you. For everything." He nodded and smiled, and I nearly shut the door before turning back and pulling it open again. I looked up at him and asked the most important question, the one I had almost forgotten. "What's your name anyway?"

He laughed and grinned at me. "Edward. Edward Cullen."

FIVE YEARS LATER

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Princess. One day, the Princess and Prince Charming went for a walk in the Enchanted Forest. All was going well, until he told her she had been tricked. He revealed his true identity as the Lord of the Frogs and hopped away, leaving her all alone and lost in the forest. She thought all hope was lost. Then, out of nowhere, the knight in rusty armor rode up on his trusty steed named Chevy. He gave her a ride to the nearby kingdom of Forks-A-Lot, where he bought her dinner and proceeded to woo her. And so, they fell in love and lived happily ever after. The end."

"I like that story, Daddy." I did my best to remain unnoticed in my hiding spot outside the door as I watched my husband tuck in our adorable three year old little boy.

"Me too. It's my favorite. Goodnight, Darren. I love you," he told his son as he leaned down to kiss him goodnight.

"Love you too, Daddy. 'Night."

I barely heard him as I raced back down the hall to our bedroom, hoping not to be caught eavesdropping. But as soon as my husband walked into the room, I knew I wasn't sneaky enough. "Did you enjoy the story, love?" he chuckled as he plopped down on the bed next to me.

I laughed with him. "I did. It's my favorite too, you know. But, you left out the part where they found out the Lord of the Frogs was gay and ran off to New York to marry the King of the Fairies. And the part where the Princess and her knight became king and queen, then had their own little prince and princess." As I said the last part, I watched his face closely.

At first he seemed oblivious. "He's only three. I had to leave room for the story to grow." For a moment he was quiet, then I watched his expression go instantaneously from calm to excited as he turned to look at me. "Did you just say-" I nodded. "And it's a girl?" I nodded again. He practically squealed as he pulled me close to him. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

I giggled. "I wanted to be sure."

He was kissing me everywhere his lips could reach. "Bella, I love you. So, so much."

"I love you too, Edward," I said as his lips found mine.

Hours later, as I lay awake watching my knight sleeping soundly next to me, I thought about the time since he had come into my life. Five years ago, I never would have pictured myself here, but I couldn't think of anywhere I would rather be. I couldn't help but whisper, "Who needs Prince Charming, anyway?"


End file.
